Envoy: Asean economic integration goes well with US programmes

US ambassador to Asean Nina Hachigian

AS chair of Asean next year, Malaysia aims to bring businesses and people in the region together.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said last month that the priorities would include helping people appreciate the benefits of economic integration, and enga­ging businesses on the changes and opportunities ahead.

According to the new United States ambassador to Asean, Nina Hachigian (pic), some of the US programmes “match pretty well” with Malaysia’s plans.

The envoy, who was in Kuala Lumpur last week for her first visit since her swearing-in (in Sep­tem­ber), noted the initiative supporting Asean economic integration and the creation of the Asean Economic Community at the end of 2015.

The United States is spending almost US$40mil (RM138mil) on programmes under this initiative.

It helped to launch an Asean wo­­men’s entrepreneurial network last year, as a public-private partnership with the US-Asean Business Council.

The funding also helped to train hundreds of small and medium en­­terprises and prepare for the Asean Single Window, she explained, “connecting Customs procedures of the 10-member countries so that goods can flow more freely across borders”.

Hachigian was in town to launch the second, US$1.4mil (RM4.8mil) three-year phase of the Asean Youth Volunteer Programme, a combined project between the US government and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. This phase will focus on disaster response, risk-reduction and reco­very.

The United States also supports the Young South-East Asian Leaders Initiative, for which some 9,000 members have signed up online.

President Barack Obama announ­ced in Myanmar last month that 500 of them would be sent to the United States for exchange programmes each year.

The Obama administration’s pivot to Asia in­cluded economic, diplomatic, security and people-to-people cooperation, Hachigian added, noting that six million Americans have South-East Asian heritage.

The United States is also the lar­gest investor in Asean. “If you take all the foreign direct investment in South-East Asia, American companies account for the most, more than China, Japan and Korea’s companies combined.”

Asked about the South China Sea and the lack of progress towards adopting a Code of Conduct (COC), the envoy replied: “China depends on trade as much as the nations of Asean do. It’s very destabilising and the markets react badly when there is the potential for violence or for disruption of trade.”

China “has a lot at stake in the international system working well and the free flow of commerce,” she argued. “It’s very much in their self-interest to find a peaceful solution.”

The US wants to see tangible steps toward a COC, she said. “In the meantime, it may well make sense for the claimants to agree among themselves not to take actions that will escalate or complicate disputes. As chair, we hope Malaysia will continue to make progress on this issue.”

For the first time this year, China joined the annual, multinational Rim of the Pacific naval exercises, which Hachigian saw as a positive sign.

“This is significant and shows a warming of US-China military cooperation and ties, and also China’s willingness to join us and other Asean partners.”

Overall, she foresees a successful year ahead for Ma­­lay­­­­­sia as chair of the regional grouping.

“We have a real stake in Asean succeeding.

“We want to do whatever we can, in any way useful to Malaysia,” she added.